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A56281 Remarks of A. Pulton, master in the Savoy, upon Dr Tho. Tenison's late narrative with a confutation of the doctors rule of faith, and a reply to A. Chresners pretended Vindication. Pulton, A. (Andrew), 1654-1710. 1687 (1687) Wing P4207; ESTC R5578 30,730 54

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is changed and alledges the example of Moses's Rod. The Word therefore of Christ which made all things out of nothing can it not change one thing into another For it is not less powerful to give a new Nature than to change Natures given 2dly That he has like E. S. from whom he has borow'd it Quoted St. Cyril most disingenuously leaving out that Text which if cited would have left no place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of doubting but that he makes for the Roman Catholick Tenet part of it is as follows That which seems Bread is not Bread although to the Taste it appears to be so but it is the Body of Christ He that cavils about such a Text has doubtless great Humility of Soul and notable dispositions to Faith 3dly That the Dr's Notes against Justin Martyr are of no force at all Remarks upon Letters Printed by Dr. Tenison 1st A. P. Thinks the Dr. might have been so civil as to acquaint him with his intentions since that he thought it necessary to make his Letters publick but this is like the What Text of Scripture makes for pu●lishing private Letters rest of the Doctors Charitable Procedure 2 d. He has very injuriously concealed A. P's fifth Letter which was the most material of all as containing A. P's clearing himself from the Dr's false aspersion whereby he charges A. P. with not having stood to the Agreement 3 d. A. P. finds several false Writings in the Dr's Print which he is morally certain he never was Author of but this may pass with the rest of the Dr's Ingenuity 4th The Youths Letter with two or three lines bearing appearance of A. P's hand was carried to the Dr. by Mr. V. who broke open the Boys Chest took out the Letter and made a present of it to the Dr. Now this was certainly nothing against Morality but argued a Gospel liberty like that of the said Mr. V. s who to spite his Catholick Apprentice and to shew his respect to the Common-Prayer-Book changed in his Family the Abstinence of Flesh on Friday and Saturday into Wednesday and Thursday that so the Youth might be compell'd to eat Flesh on Friday and Saturday or fast four days together Who now will doubt but Mr. V. is confirm'd in his Religion Now A. P. in his next will do Dr. T. the Justice to put his Learned Reply to the Youths Letter in School-form that the World may see the force of the Dr's Sophistry of which take now a short Essay Against Vnity of Faith in the Roman Catholick Church alledged by the Youth as one of his Motives the Dr. objects the Jansenists Blackloists and Molinists condemn'd by the Roman Church Now in form it must run thus There is no Vnion in that Church which by her just censures does reclaim or cut off those who broach new and false Doctrines But the Church of Rome has so reclaim'd or cut off those who began such Doctrines Therefore in the Church of Rome there is no Vnion Now è contra for the Church of England In that Church Vnity is preserved where Spreaders of various Doctrines in points necessary to Faith can't be justly condemn'd but in the Church of England Spreaders of various Doctrines in Points necessary to Faith can't be justly condemn'd as grounding themselves on the same Rule of Faith with that Church I mean Scripture Therefore in the Church of England is preserv'd Vnity of Faith. Argued certainly like a Doctor yet this must be the Sense of his Argument if any Against the Spirit of Missions in the Catholick Church another of the Youths Note that the Jesuits whom the Dr. so much loves are actually Preaching in the most Barbarous and Desolate Countries in the World. Motives the Dr. Learnedly objects as follows There is no Zeal of Souls in that Church which sends Missions into Warm Rich and Populous Countries But the Ch. of Rome sends such Missions therefore she has no Zeal of Souls Confirmatur St. Peter Preach'd at Rome St. Paul in Greece St. James in Spain St. Thomas in the Indies all Rich and Plentiful Countries but they had no Zeal of Souls therefore a Pari. Bravely spoken Dr. the Jews will thank you for this as also for your Text against crossing the Dr's Narrative page 76. Seas which proves notably for the Synagogue against the Apostles The Zeal of the Church of Rome being beat down let us Establish that of the Church of England There is true Zeal of Souls where the Ministers of the Gospel care not what becomes of the rest of the World so they can obtain good Livings to maintain their Godly Consorts and Levitical Off-spring But this is the Zeal of the Ministers of the Church of England Ergo. This may serve at present for an item for what 's to come which the Dr. shall have at large as soon as A P. shall have receiv'd the Dr's Vindication of his Rule of Faith impugned and if I mistake not prov'd Null by A. P. A. P's Answer to the Vindication of A. Chresner c. SInce Mr. A. Chresner School-Master in Long-Acre has thought fit to write a Vindication from the pretended Aspersions of A. P. Jesuit and School-Master in the Savoy A. P. acknowledges that no uncivil rudeness ought to have forc'd the Word Buffoon from his Lips. However since A. C. has provoked our Jesuit it is fitting the World should be a little farther instructed of the behaviour of A. C. during the Conference and then Judge whether at least upon a Stage he would not have deserved that Character As soon as he came into the Room facing A. P. he began to knit his Brow contort his Eyes draw his Mouth into most un-natural shapes and cut as many Faces and as ugly as the greatest Professor of that Art could do A P. not accustom'd to such grimaces said very calmly Pray Sir look mors sweetly on 't but A. C. continuing his mute Scene A. P. asked him if in any thing he had offended him and why he shew'd so much disdain and rancor in his Countenance Then breaking his mute Courtship with a very ugly look stay says he You cited a false Council for the Marks of the True Church in your Catechising How so reply'd A. P. Why you cited the 2d Council of Nice A. P. answered Sir you mistake it was the 2 d. General Council which was held at Constantinople not the 2 d. of Nice which I cited Now this behaviour remain'd with him till he came three hours after into a private Chamber and then entring into himself he cried peccavi and desired what had passed might not be ill taken This is the true matter of Fact and if A. P. allow 20 or 30 very ridiculous motions of hands eyes and face to imbellish this Gentlemans Discourses it is short of what his deportments merit Page 2. it is not true what he says of Mr. M's interposing private Questions of his own to the Dr for this was the D's refuge for near two hours tho' A. P. grants Mr. M. once or twice to have interposed but not private Questions of his own Page 3. He tells you that A. P's pulling out his Breviary gave occasion to him of producing his Picture which is as far from Truth as A. C. from being Pope the Picture being produced about the beginning of the Conference and upon no such occasion as he relates whereas as A. P. took out his Breviary upon account of Authorities relating to Transubstantiation which happened an hour and a half after Page 5 He denies his wry Mouths and antick Gestures with the same impudence he made them It may be A. C. through force of an inveterate habit may not be particularly mindful of his deformed comportment that day as it befel the Shephards Boy whom A. P's Brother reprehending for his ill habit of Swearing reply'd with a great Oath that he had never Swore in his life Pag. 6. He gives you a smooth account of his moderate temper which never appear'd till he cry'd peccavi with a civil Bow and Congy a little before parting Page 7 and 8. He plays the Ignoramus Dr. and beats the Air discovering a total ignorance of Symbolical Representations as of Angels under mans shapes the Holy Ghost under that of Fiery Tongues Dove c. he ought not to impugn Doctrines he does not understand let him ask those of Trinity-Colledge in Oxford why they represent the Blessed Trinity by the Letter Delta Now A. P. finding so much dis-ingenuity want of Truth Spirit of Contempt and Ignorance in A. C's first Sheet thought it time lost to Scribble against one whose Tongue no Wise Man will esteem a Slander Now if the Reader will be pleas'd to consider that A. C. is a mercenary School-Master he will presently discover the reason why in the Conference by his uncivil Comportments and now by his more uncivil Pen he would sain draw A. P. into contempt which thanks be to God A. P. stands very little in fear of from him nor shall he ever give him the honour of a future Answer FINIS
where commanded in Scripture either as to the Obligation or Time of its Celebration as now practic'd by the Church Baptism is necessary to Children for Salvation We are bound to believe that the Son is Consubstantial to the Father that the second Person was Really Physically and Substantially united to our Humane Nature and not Morally only that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. What plain Texts of Scripture prove these Tenets so as the Arian Eutychian Anabaptist c. shall be oblig'd to submit being convinc'd by the Evidence thereof A. P. therefore asserts that an Infallible Church is requisite to expound Holy Writ to us and by her Traditions which are the living Word of GOD instruct us in necessary Doctrines That which the Dr. appeals to for Judge to wit The written Word of GOD is no other than what has been the Appeal of all Hereticks from CHRIST's time Which consequently cannot be the Rule of one True Church that is Essentially different from an Heretical one And certainly no man of Sense and Judgment can say that a guilty Person will ever appeal to that Judge by whom he is evidently and sufficiently condemn'd but all Hereticks are guilty Persons and yet boldly appeal to Holy Scripture Therefore Holy Scripture is not the Judge by whom Hereticks are evidently and sufficiently condemn'd Whence is clearly made out that there must be some other living Judge by whose Authority Hereticks may be clearly convinc'd and all necessary Points of Doctrine taught and deliver'd to us Would not that be the worst constituted Government in the World in which there should be no living Judge or Explicator of the Law but every one should be permitted to Expound it so as his own Capricio or private Judgment suggests or as it may most make for his own Interest What Malefactor at this rate would not find a Plea for his own Defence and a Salvo for the most Enormous Crimes Now if this in Humane Laws would be esteem'd highly derogotary to the Prudence of the Law-giver shall those be deem'd to have the Spirit of GOD who presume to affirm the same of his Divine Majesty and so far to call in question his Infinite Wisdom and Goodness as to think that in the establishment of his Church he would omit That without which no State or Government could long subsist But here the Dr. may reply what he afterwards says that every one is not left to Expound this Rule at Discretion but must Vse the help of all Ministerial Guides possible that is he must Consult his Confer p. 18. Minister and if one satisfy him not advise with another and so to the end of the Chapter Now what shall we say if this Man prudently distrusts the Mission of his pretended Ministers as every one may that of the Church of England being grounded on meer Humane Authority What if he distrust his Ministers Sincerity Learning Vertue What if he question his having us'd Pious Means in humility of Soul Of which no Body can be assur'd What if Consulting many one tells him one thing another as it usually happens quite contrary What Means are there left to quiet this dubious mind You will say He is then left to his own Conscience Now being so left A. P. desires to know whether this Mans Conscience may be Erronous and actually err in things necessary to Salvation If so then his Religion may prove a meer Fancy if more an Opinion but at most a private Judgement and wholly void of Divine Faith. If he cannot err then each one must be allow'd to be Infallible in his own Perswasion and so the Dr. must grant that to each particular Member which he denies to the whole But that each one may err after all his Endeavours if we allow no living Judge to whom we are bound to submit is manifest from daily Experience by which we see that thousands having made use of all Ministerial Guides possible cease not to dissent amongst themselves and disagree even to Contradiction in things of the greatest moment And against the Dr. ad hominem Roman Catholicks use all the means Protestants can prescribe and many more in humility of Soul and have an undoubted assurance of being in the true way Which being so A. P. would be satisfy'd with what Conscience the Church of England can Prosecute men by Sanguinary Laws who follow her own Rule with the greatest Perfection One word to the Dr. and A. P. will go on to the other Parts of the Dr's Rule That can't be the only true Rule of Faith without which a true Church did subsist But without a compil'd Canon of Scripture assign'd by the Church of England as the only true Rule of Faith a true Church did subsist Therefore a compil'd Canon of Scripture can't be the only true Rule of Faith. The first Proposition is evident for a Church can t subsist without its Essentials one whereof questionless is a Rule of Faith. The second is prov'd thus The Primitive Christians made a true Church But this Church subsisted many years without a compil'd Canon of Scripture as is evident For several years after CARIST's Death pass'd without any written Gospels or Epistles more before they were divulg'd and some Ages before they were compil'd into a Canon Therefore a true Church subsisted without a compil'd Canon of Scripture Therefore that can't be the only true Rule of Faith. The Dr. goes on and asserts that they had the same Proofs for their Bible with the Roman Catholicks viz. The Testimony of the Vniversal Church Conf●r p. 9. of all Ages Which is manifestly false For neither the Universal Church nor any part of it deliver'd them the Bible as the Protestants have it Whether you consider the Number of Books Conformity of Texts or what is most Material the Sense and Meaning thereof For although the * Note This was only a National Council and of no General Obligation Council of Laodicea approv'd of no more Books than those which the Church of England now allows to be Canonical nor indeed of all those the Apocalypse not being then receiv'd yet that Council rejected not the other Books as Apocryphal But the Church then beginning to examine Holy Scripture approv'd for the present only the above-mention'd Canon neither rejecting nor admitting the other pieces Now in the Council of Carthage held in the year 397. the other parts of Holy Writ being brought under Examination were found to be of equal Authority and consequently receiv'd into the Canon St. Augustin subscribing thereto And this was confirm'd by Pope Innocent the first in the year 402. who giving an Account what Books were receiv'd and directing himself by the Rule of Tradition viz. Quid custodita Series temporum demonstraret sets down these very Books the Epist 3 cap. 7. Roman Catholicks now still allow of And St. Augustine was of the same Judgment as also Pope Gelasius August de Doctr. Christ cap. 8.
Greek and Roman Emperours and of the Kings of Hierusalem France Spain England Aragon Cyprus and Hungary 'T was held in the year of our Lord 1215. by the Authority of Pope Innocent the III. in the time of the Emperour Frederick the II. For recovering the Holy-Land from the Turks and against the Heresies of the Albigenses and Almaricus and the Errours of Abbot Joachim In the midst of this Discourse about the Lateran Conf. p. 15. Council the Dr. brings in the passage of the Impertinent School-master with his Picture which ought to have been alledg'd six Pages before From Father Walsh the Dr. passes to A. P's Breviary Conf. p. 16. and Written Paper though A. P. produc'd no such Paper and having shew'd in one Paragraph how the question of Transubstantiation c. was now agreed on and that he appeal'd to the Fathers Though he would not take them for his Infallible Judge he presently taxes A. P. that he would p. 17. fix to nothing and soon after complains of Mr. M. whom the Dr. himself to avoid the hearing A. P's Testimonies had provok'd to it That he was drawing p 18. them away from their point So that here 's fixing and no fixing almost in a Breath But here Mr. M. intends to have a word with the Dr. The Dr. then says That He desir'd A. P. to read p. 19. out of his printed Paper the place out of Justin Martyr Which is a Misrepresentation For A. P. having at least twenty times offer'd at it in vain at last took occasion of the Dr's being out of Breath to oblige him to hear it After this the Dr. having given in his Narrative a far different Account of his Sense of the Real Presence from what he did in the Conference it self as appears in A. P's Account to which the Reader A. P 's Account of Conf. p. 12. is referr'd where he first granted it and then said he would not speak to that Point passes on to a Quaery put to A. P. by Mr. D. A. C. viz. What Dr. T 's Acc. of Conf. p. 20. kind of Phylosophy that was which maintain'd that Accidents subsisted without Substance and tells you that A. P. saying 'T was true Philosophy D. T. himself ask'd Whether it was true Philosophy to say there was Whiteness without a white thing c. And that it was answer'd GOD could do this A. P. stands to his Answer and desires to know of this Church-Divine who measures his Faith by his Phylosophy By what principle of Phylosophy he conceives GOD to have made all things of nothing to have Physically united his Divine to our Humane Nature to be Three and One in the same indivisible Substance What Phylosophy teaches the Resurrection of the Dead and the washing our Soul by Baptism Now A. P. has been instructed first to see what Faith Teaches and then to weigh it in the Ballance of Phylosophy and if it surpass the reach of Natural Discourse rather to renounce the Principles of Phylosophy than the Articles of his Faith. As for the Contradiction Mr. D. A. C. is said to have discover'd in the Doctrine of Transubstantiation A. P. asserts that Mr. D. A. C. shall never with all his skill in Logick be able to make a Syllogism that implies a Contradiction in any of the Tenets of the Roman Catholick Church It might be wish'd that the conceited Wits of our Time had more Humility and less Vanity For thence would proceed more Inclination to Faith and less to Atheism Then the Dr. alledges the Testimony of Costerus who grants that if CHRIST be not really present in the Eucharist The Worshiping of it would be worse Idolatry than that of the Laplanders who Worshiped a Red-cloath And A. P. adds that if CHRIST be really there for the belief of which there is fourty to one on A. P's side the denying it Divine Worship would prove the highest Impiety besides the violating a Divine Precept of Eating his Sacred Body incumbent on all who are arriv'd at the years of Discretion This puts me in mind of an Atheistical Expression which fell from one of our Protestant Bigots who seeing beyond-Sea a Person of great Quality and Riches leave all to become a poor Capucin said How will this poor Gentleman be gull'd if after all there be no GOD To which Sacrilegious Impiety a stander by reply'd But how will you be gull'd Sir if there prove to be a GOD To apply this How great will be the Confusion of Dr. T. at the day of Judgement when he shall find the Catholick Tenet true whereas if A. P. should to suppose an Impossibility find it otherwise he will not have the least Reason to appear confounded since he had the same Ground to believe Transubstantiation as the Blessed Trinity Here the Dr. repeats that A. P. was again Confer p 21. desir'd to stick to something where A. P. in near an hour and a half could only edge in two Quotations whilst the Dr. rambled through twenty impertinent Subjects most of which he has misplac'd though here you find him by his own account running on no occasion to that of St. Matthew Hear the Matt. c 18. Church Which every one sees how it was to the Quotations A. P. was always pressing him to A. P. Acc. of Conf. p. 13 14. hear Concerning which see A. P's account The Dr. adds That it was resolv'd that Dr. T. Dr. T 's Acc. of Conf. p. 22. should write of this matter and of St. Ambrose St. Cyril and Justin Martyr to Mr. P. and receive his answer In which there is as much Truth as in the matter of Fact he represented in his 4th Page The Dr. would willingly have what he said Ibid. p. 23. touhing Papists being Breakers of their Words to pass for a personal affront put upon A. P. But A. P. has given you a most sincere and modest Account of it in his Relation of the Conference and A P's Acc. of Conf. p. 14 15. Mr. M. being on this occasion most foully aspers'd by the Dr. will add to it what is pertinent The Dr. drawing to a conclusion of the Conference says That having charg'd A. P. with being of D. T 's Acc. p. 24 an Order who had brought in a Foreign Jurisdiction Note That A. P. only spoke of a Spiritual Jurisdiction A. P. asserted That the Pope had had a Right of Jurisdiction here a Thousand Years and that Dr. T. ought not therefore to call it Foreign and that Dr. T. said these were dangerous words A. P. in this matter refers himself to the Judgement of His most Sacred MAJESTY who alone can be injur'd by that Assertion As for what concerns the Bishops and Clergy of the Church of England they must either derive their Orders and Spiritual Power from the See of Rome or else they will never be able to make out they have any at all The Dr. here omits A.
of the Tigurines upon it It Tigur Theol. Ort. Conf. fol. 10. Tigur Tract 3 cont supra Luth. Conf. pag. 61. is most clear and cannot be deny'd but that never any man writ more uncivilly more filthily more leudly c. than Luther And again Did ever man hear such Speeches pass from a furious Devil himself No less Excellent an Instrument was he in order to Civil Authority and Government Among Christians Tom. 6. Germ. de Saec. Pot. alibi says he no man can or ought to be Magistrate but each one is to other equally subject Hence no wonder he treats Crown'd Heads with that unparallel'd Indignity and Impudence He calls Henry the VIII More Furious than Madness it self Tom. 2. fol. 333 334 335 338 340. more Foolish than Folly it self indu'd with an Impudent and Whorish Face without any one vein of Princely Blood in his Body a lying Sophist a damnable rotten Worm a Basilisk and Progeny of an Adder c. Most wicked and impudent Harry And again Thou lyest in thy Throat foolish and Sacrilegious King. Thus giving Luther some few grains of Allowance that is allowing him to be one who question'd if not deny'd the Unity of God held Christ to have been Man from all Eternity the Divinity to have suffer'd several unquestion'd Books of Scripture to be meer sigments and idle stories the three first Gospels not to be true the ten Commandments not to be made for Us Polygamy and Fornication not to be unlawful Continency to be as impossible as not to be a Man one generally confess'd a manifest and publick corrupter of Scripture most filthy in his Language and Writings most dis-respectful and insolent towards Princes one Infamous for his intimate Familiarity with the Devil and in short one whose Principles and Practice are absolutely destructive of all Piety Religion Civil Government and Morality and then Dr. Martin Luther will prove most undoubtedly an excellent Instrument of GOD's What impartial man can doubt but these Grains of Allowance are weighty enough to counterpoise the Dr's bare assertion of it Having in compliance to the Dr's Request given these Grains of Allowance to Luther whom he has been pleas'd to assign for an excellent Instrument of GOD's and a Pillar of the pretended Reformation A. P. craves the Favour of his kind Reader that he may be permitted to draw also a short Scheme of one whom he verily believes to have been a very great Instrument of GOD and who was Contemporary to Martin Luther 'T is of the great Xaverius who when some parts of Europe instigated by this Trumpet of Sedition revolted from their Obedience to the Pope leaving those great Pretensions in the World to which his extraordinary Parts might have made him justly aspire and binding himself to GOD by a triple Vow of following the Evangelical Counsels as Luther had formerly done though now broken it went in extreme Poverty to the farthest parts of the East where having Preach'd the Faith to near thirty Kingdoms in twelve of which he left it planted having demolish'd many thousands of Idolatrous Temples and Baptiz'd with his own hands twelve hundred thousand Souls Almighty GOD accompanying his Preaching by such Signs as he is usually pleas'd to confer on Apostles of the Gentiles as a wonderful Power over Devils the Gift of Tongues the Spirit of Prophecy the Curing all Diseases and raising five and twenty persons from Death to Life all which attested by many Eye-witnesses were after a very rigorous examen found indisputably true he dy'd with an Opinion of admirable Sanctity which is yet farther confirm'd by his Body remaining till this day uncorrupt at Goa The Pious and Christian Reader is now desir'd to reflect a little on these two Instruments and having seriously compar'd their Lives and Doctrines in both of which they were Diametrically opposite to each other freely and indifferently to determine which of them seems to have been sent by Almighty GOD. To return now to our Dr. we find him relating Confer p. 8. a story that this great Instrument of GOD Martin Luther being at Rome heard the very Courtizans jeering by say that some who Consecrated had us'd these Words Bread thou art Bread thou shalt be Wine thou art Wine thou shalt be Now had Luther heard this from the Colledge of Cardinals Bishops and Prelates and had they allow'd of it he might have had some Motive to distrust the sincerity of the Roman Catholick Tenet But he heard it from the very Courtizans This indeed is an irrefragable Proof of Luther's Pious Conversation And here the Dr. has unawares pointed us out the true Motive of Luther's Change of Life and Doctrine viz. The Conversation of Courtizans which he knew being a Frier he could not so easily enjoy The Dr. now got into a pleasant Humour tells us another impertinent story of an old Man who Swore to the Devil Ador'd an Image of the Blessed Virgin and kept his Courtizan Giving an hint as though the second Council of Nice approv'd all this Which are three notorious Calumnies The Fathers there assembled said as they ought that an Oath made to the Devil could not oblige and that it would be less Sin to be naught with a Woman it being a personal and private Trespass than by denying the Respect due to Holy Images at that time wickedly oppugn'd by the most Impious Ieonoclasts to give occasion of publick Scandal and Heresie I must upon this occasion mind the Reader of a very disingenuous Proceeding frequently us'd by most Protestants viz. That if they find in History of whatever Time or Author any Passage seeming to make the least against the Roman Catholicks they presently receive it with all the Credit due to the most assured Verity Whereas though five hundred Authors of undoubted Sincerity Virtue and Learning attest from their own knowledge and experience Passages Miracles c. evincing our Catholick Tenets they value them no more than a Tale of Tom Thumb or Valentine and Orson The Dr 's Rule of Faith prov'd Insufficient THis story which as appears by his own account rendred the Dr. very uneasie till he was deliver'd of it being over he now assigns for the Rule of Faith the Holy Bible the sum of it in necessary Doctrines being the Apostolical Creed Confer p. 9. Now A. P. when requisite will assign many necessary Points which as they are unmention'd in the Apostles Creed so are they either not at all or much less clearly prov'd from Holy Scripture than the Doctrine of the Real Presence Auricular Confession Purgatory c. But at present what follows shall suffice 'T is necessary for Christians to keep Holy the first day of the Week Now where does the Bible teach the Sabbath or seventh day which was commanded to be kept in the Decalogue to have been abolish'd by CHRIST and the Sunday being the first substituted in its place The same might be instanc'd in the Feast of Easter no
wrought in Confirmation of the Roman Catholick Faith were all Lies Cheats and Fictions of Impostures If so then there was no more Faith to be given to Man and the Church of England would fall to nothing being grounded on a Presumption borrow'd from pretended Histories of Innovation and Corruptions in the Romish Church if not that is if these Miracles ought to be believ'd then again the Reformation seem'd defeated since GOD who can't be Author of a Lye had positively acted for the Roman Church against that of England Now this was an horned Beast of a Query which rais'd the Dr's Warmness to a great height which he mainly discharg'd on his dubious Client And a direct Answer not occurring as indeed there could not he us'd an indirect way of arguing and took an oblique stroke able to give an eternal overthrow to the Roman Church You talk said he of Miracles in the Romish Church I 'le shew in one Example what credit they are of There was upon a time a certain Priest who got Money by exposing the Head of a pretended Saint to the Peoples Charitable Veneration Now as Providence would have it a Chirurgion on what suspition I know not pierc'd this Saintly Head with his Lance and found it to be a piece of Parchment Now said he tell me of Roman Miracles again This was certainly the happiest stroke of a Lance we shall ever find mention'd in History If his Hand was not that of a Lady his Eyes were at least those of an Eagle and his Heart of a Lyon. I wonder this Chirurgion is not Canoniz'd by the pretended Reformers for thus totally routing the Romish Church What need then of tumbling over Concordances and beating mens Brains to search out mis-apply'd Texts of Scripture and bring them in by Head and Shoulders against Popery an Instance whereof we have in that learn'd Catechism lately cry'd about the Streets and to give it the greater Cred●t Father'd on our Dr. when this one Story of the Chirurgion with the help of Dr. T 's Application would every whit as well do the Feat and be as much to the purpose As you may see by this Specimen Master Were there ever any Miracles wrought in the Roman Church these twelve hundred years Scholar No for there was a Chirurgion c. Master Must we then believe that all those recounted by St. Augustin St. Gregory St. Bernard Venerable Beda and infinite others were so many Impostures Scholar Yes for there was a Chirurgion c. Can any man be so unreasonable as to desire a more irrefragable Proof of the Roman Churches Errours But A. P. not to injure the Dr. grants that he added another Story to fix this wavering mind in an aversion to the Roman Church and it was of a Person of his own acquaintance who had been at Rome where he had known those who for Six pence a month obtain'd a Dispensation to live at discretion and violate the Commands of God and the Church at pleasure Now had this Story fall'n from Dr. Titus's mouth when he was esteem'd the Saviour of the Nation A. P. tho' knowing it to be false would not yet have dar'd to contradict it when issuing from such venerable Lips. But having it only from Dr. T. who cannot be thought more Infallible than his Church A. P. craves leave to say That if the Dr. really believes this Story he shews himself very weak and altogether ignorant of the Catholick Tenets But if not believing it himself he makes use of it only to impose on the credulity of others 't is an Argument of far greater insincerity and dis-ingenuity than A. P. desires the Dr. should be guilty of To these Stories the Party who truly went to the Dr. with a great opinion of his Abilities reply'd very well If it should be granted that there may have been a Priest so wicked as to expose false Relicks does it thence follow That there was never any true Miracle And should there be found one so ridiculously impudent as to delude some ignorant Soul by giving a pretended leave to sin Is it therefore sufficiently prov'd that this is the Doctrine of the Roman Church Must I cease to believe in Christ because Peter deny'd him and Judas equally train'd up in his School betray'd him Here the Dr. dismiss'd his Parishioner as obstinate and unworthy of any further Instruction who is now a very good Roman Catholick as is also a second who expected the Learned Solution of the above mentioned Queries A. P. therefore takes the liberty to give the Dr. this Friendly Advice That he addict not himself much for the future to this way of Tale-telling which how grateful soever it may be to the Rabble and Scum of the People who are often delighted with such shallow Raileries is yet very distastful to the sober sort who cannot but see through such Net-work-Sophistry at the first appearance A. P. has a reserve of such-like effects of the Dr's wonderful Query-resolving Faculty but this may suffice at present Whoever shall have read Dr. T 's most Injurious and Scandalous Aspersions cast on A. P. in his own Person whom he represents as a Falsifier a Man who has not common skill in History a Violator of the Holy-day c. on the Institute of his Order which he charges with bringing in Foreign Jurisdiction and teaching the Deposing-Power and on his Religion in general which he accuses of obliging People to break their words of teaching to Lye to be Idle Vneasy to others and of making its Followers worse in their Morals will not wonder that A. P. has endeavour'd to vindicate himself which notwithstanding he has endeavour'd to do with all the Modesty so foul a charge could permit POSTSCRIPT An account of what A. P. designs in his next PAPER A. P. as fast as his Religious duties of near five and School-imployments of six hours a day will allow will give the Dr. a full Answer to the remnant of his 12 Sheets wherein he will shew first the Dr's Exceptions against St. Quia benidictione etiam natura ipsa mutatur Sermo igitur Christi qui po●●rat ex nihilo facere quod non erat non potest ea quae sunt in id mutare quod non erat In lib. de iis qui M●s initiuntur Note that not one word was Quoted out of St. Cyiril in the Conference Ambrose's Works de Sacram. to be very weak and contradictory and that St. Ambrose is evidently against the Dr. witness at present only one Text out of an undoubted work Which the Dr. refus'd to hear in the Conference You may say perchance I see another thing why do you assert that I take the Body of Christ The Saint Answers How many examples do we use to prove that this is not what Nature has Fram'd but what the Blessing has Consecrated and that the force of the Blessing is greater than that of Nature because by the Blessing the very Nature it self